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Best Public Schools in Polk County, NE

At a glance

Schools

1,118

Students

Districts

5-star school

Top rankedCross County High School5^th of 146 Nebraska high schools

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Biggest riser

Shelby - Rising City Elementary School up 96 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Shelby - Rising City High School 8.4 students per teacher

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Newly ranked this year

Shelby - Rising City High School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				NSCAS English Language Arts (2025)					NSCAS Mathematics (2025)		ACT English Language Arts (2025)	ACT Mathematics (2025)	ACT Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	NSCAS English Language Arts 3rd Grade	NSCAS English Language Arts 4th Grade	NSCAS English Language Arts 6th Grade	NSCAS English Language Arts 7th Grade	NSCAS English Language Arts All Grades	NSCAS Mathematics 3rd Grade	NSCAS Mathematics All Grades	ACT English Language Arts 11th Grade	ACT Mathematics 11th Grade	ACT Science 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
High Plains Community Junior/Senior High School	Public	7-12	345 S Pine	Polk	68654	Polk County	High Plains Community Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(402) 765-3331	93	12	8.0	28.0%	78 (83.9%)	1 (1.1%)	14 (15.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)											$37,307	$92	$31,265
Cross County Middle School	Public	6-8	1270 123rd Rd	Stromsburg	68666	Polk County	Cross County Community Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(402) 764-5521	74	7	11.3	27.0%	66 (89.2%)	1 (1.4%)	6 (8.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.4%)								(n/a)			68.2	64.3	69.0		67.6				$25,250	$530	$18,192
Cross County High School	Public	9-12	1270 123rd Rd	Stromsburg	68666	Polk County	Cross County Community Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(402) 764-5521	120	14	8.5	26.7%	104 (86.7%)	4 (3.3%)	11 (9.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	92.6	5^th of 146 public high schools	96.6%		65.6	62^nd of 168 public high schools	63.1%	57									72.0	76.0	$25,694	$300	$21,086
Cross County Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1270 123rd Road	Stromsburg	68666	Polk County	Cross County Community Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 764-5521	178	16	11.3	27.5%	165 (92.7%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (5.6%)	3 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)					71.4	75.0	79.4				$22,536	$804	$19,729
Osceola Middle School	Public	6-8	565 S Kimmel	Osceola	68651	Polk County	Osceola Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(402) 747-3121	39	6	6.5	35.9%	33 (84.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (10.3%)								(n/a)											$7,360	$34	$154
Osceola Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	341 S Kimmel	Osceola	68651	Polk County	Osceola Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 747-2091	120	10	11.7	24.2%	97 (80.8%)	1 (0.8%)	7 (5.8%)	2 (1.7%)	2 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (9.2%)								(n/a)					79.6		77.6				$30,226	$416	$24,310
Osceola High School	Public	9-12	565 S Kimmel	Osceola	68651	Polk County	Osceola Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(402) 747-3121	91	8	11.3	23.1%	83 (91.2%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.2%)								(n/a)											$29,670	$377	$25,686
Shelby - Rising City Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	650 N Walnut	Shelby	68662	Polk County	Shelby - Rising City Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 527-5946	201	20	10.2	31.3%	155 (77.1%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (19.9%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	55.7	136^th of 294 public elementary schools	53.7%		54.7	232^nd of 428 public elementary schools	45.8%	96	74.1	51.9			62.8	74.1	60.6				$22,646	$720	$18,142
Shelby - Rising City High School	Public	9-12	650 N Walnut	Shelby	68662	Polk County	Shelby - Rising City Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(402) 527-5946	112	13	8.4	38.4%	92 (82.1%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (15.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.7%)	57.3	68^th of 146 public high schools	53.4%					(n/a)								64.5	45.2	54.8	$26,484	$353	$22,137
Shelby - Rising City Middle School	Public	6-8	650 N Walnut St	Shelby	68662	Polk County	Shelby - Rising City Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(402) 527-5946	90	6	15.5	31.1%	73 (81.1%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (16.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.1%)								(n/a)					55.2						$21,521	$353	$17,290

SchoolDigger rankings lists for Nebraska:

Elementary Schools Middle Schools High Schools Districts Cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Nebraska Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.